The present invention concerns food processing, and more particularly, it concerns a process for forming a dehydrated vegetable product which may be stored for long periods and reconstituted by the addition of liquid.
Vegetables, including peas, green beans, carrots, squash, and the like, may be dehydrated by first forming a puree and then drying that puree on a drum dryer to form a thin sheet of product which may be broken into flakes for packaging and storage. The flake product may then be reconstituted prior to use by the addition of liquid.
In the case of certain vegetables, in particular peas and green beans, the flakes resulting from the above-described process are often unable to absorb sufficient water to properly reconstitute the product. Moreover, the purees of peas and beans both contain hardened tissue which is not significantly softened by cooking or homogenizing processes. In such cases, the reconstituted product is a dispersion of dried and liquefied vegetable material. Qualitatively, the product has often been gritty, dry and difficult to swallow.
It is thus desirable to provide a dehydrated vegetable product which, when reconstituted, absorbs a sufficient amount of water to completely liquefy, and which achieves a smooth texture free from grittiness.